Check Out All the Stuff This Guy Allegedly Stole

When investigators entered Craig Cromartie’s room at a hotel in Framingham this past June, they were greeted with an astonishing sight: heaps of jewelry and other valuables. A few months prior, Cromartie had become the target of a Norfolk County surveillance squad that typically works on drug cases, in connection with a string of burglaries targeting high-end residences. Now, after recovering almost 400 items from his hotel room and car—as well as goods from several addresses in Dorchester—police believe Cromartie may be responsible for up to 200 housebreaks in four counties and the theft of personal property totaling around $1 million. This has presented police with a bizarre problem: Instead of having a victim and needing to find evidence, they have an overabundance of evidence but have yet to identify all the victims. To help solve the case, police in Natick, where several of the alleged burglaries took place, have turned to social media. So far, so good. After posting 77 photos of the recovered objects on the department’s Facebook page, Lieutenant Brian Grassey says a number of victims have come forward to claim their possessions.